Rockstar Games Confirms Second Cyber-Attack, Downplays Impact
Rockstar Games Targeted Again by Hackers
Grand Theft Auto developer Rockstar Games has been subjected to a second cyber-attack within three years. Cybersecurity news outlets first reported the data breach on Saturday, following claims of responsibility from a hacking collective.
The group, identifying themselves as ShinyHunters, stated they gained access to Rockstar's servers via a third-party cloud provider and threatened to release stolen material if a ransom was not paid.
Company Downplays Breach Significance
Despite the claims, Rockstar has downplayed the severity of the incident. A spokesperson informed gaming publication Kotaku that "a limited amount of non-material company information was accessed in connection with a third-party data breach," adding that "this has no impact on our organisation or our players."
ShinyHunters, a prolific group known for data theft and extortion, previously claimed responsibility for an attack on Ticketmaster. They confirmed to the BBC that the stolen data would be published online as their demands were not met. Law enforcement agencies globally advise against paying cyber ransoms, as it often funds further criminal activity and offers no guarantee of data deletion.
This incident follows a 2023 breach where an 18-year-old British hacker, Arion Kurtaj, received an indefinite hospital order for stealing data, source code, and unreleased video clips of the highly anticipated GTA 6 game. That prior attack, carried out by the Lapsus$ gang, forced Rockstar to release the game's trailer ahead of schedule.
